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Gerald Wehnert
Gerald Wehnert (born 18 October 4227) is the Alorian president, leader of the Libertarian Party. He was also president from 4272 to 4277. He was appointed deputy leader of the Libertarian Party when it launched on 13 March 4284, and then he won the 4287 party leadership election. He served as leader of the Alorian Libertarian Party (ALP) from 4268 to 4277. From 4268 to 4272, Wehnert sat in the Senate, before being elected president in the 4272 election. After his 4277 presidential election defeat, Wehnert went back to his role as a Senator and resigned from his role as ALP leader. Wehnert was born into a working-class family in Silder Urbem, Aloria's capital city. He was educated at a state school. After leaving school, he attended university in Sildar Urbem, where he studied law. After graduating from university in 4248, he moved away from his home city to Ultran Stadt, Ultran. While living there, he worked as a lawyer and met his wife, who he married in 4255. In 4263, he moved back to Sildar Urbem and joined the Alorian Libertarian Party (ALP). In 4267, he was elected leader of the party, and a year later he was elected to the Senate, while winning 9% of the vote in the presidential election. In 4272, he was elected president. Early Life Gerald Wehnert was born on 18 October 4227 into a working-class family living in Sildar Urbem. His father is a retired teacher and his mother worked in a retail store. His father was a strong supporter of socialism when Wehnert was young, and was a member of the Labor Party until 4240. Gerald Wehnert attended a state school in Sildar Urbem, where he achieved good results. He studied law at Sildar Urbem North University for three years. When Gerald Wehnert was eight, his parents divorced. Wehnert had a distant relationship with his father until he was 16. After the divorce, Wehnert and his mother struggled financially. Wehnert later described their situation as "extremely desperate and sad". Early Political Career Alorian Nationalist Front (4254 - 4255) At the age of 27, Gerald Wehnert joined the Alorian Nationalist Front in 4254. The organisation was an Artaniasceptic group, which also protested against high levels of immigration. In December 4254, the organisation turned into a regional political party, situated in Ultran. They did not achieve much success, and there were lots of accusations of racism and xenophobia in the party. When Wehnert moved back to Sildar Urbem in November 4255, he left the party. Stop the Artanians Coalition The Stop the Artanians Coalition formed in 4250 and its aim was to get Aloria out of the Artanian Union. Wehnert joined the organisation in 4257, which was about the time the group started to gain national attention. Wehnert remained a member until Aloria left the AU in May 4277. Alorian Freedom Party (4260 - 4266) Gerald Wehnert joined the Alorian Freedom Party (AFP) in 4260, as he thought they were the only party representing the right-wing at the time. The AFP achieved relative electoral success in 4262, making a breakthrough into the Senate by winning 48 seats. Wehnert was a big admirer of Seth John, who was the founder of the AFP. In 4264, Wehnert was suspended from his local AFP branch in Sildar Urbem after he made a controversial comment claiming the borders should be shut immediately to prevent native Alorians becoming a minority in their own country. His suspension lasted a year, so he returned to the part in late 4265. However, he made the decision in 4266 to leave the party. Alorian Libertarian Party Gerald Wehnert joined the ALP in 4267 when it reformed, and he was elected leader later that year. He ran for president on an ALP ticket in 4268, and he got 9% of the vote. The ALP won 50 seats, and Wehnert was elected to the Senate. Senator (4268 - 4272) After being elected to the Senate in 4268, Wehnert become a powerful voice on the floor. The first bill proposed to the Senate by the ALP was the 4269 Immigration and Refugee Bill, which imposed stricter border controls and also introduced restrictions on potential asylum seekers. The ALP also introduced a bill to withdraw Aloria from the Artanian Union, however it failed. One of Wehnert's major policies was to implement a minimum wage, but his first attempt to do this in 4272 failed. First Presidential Term Second Presidential Term Out of Office (4277 - 4284) After his presidential election defeat in 4277, Wehnert served as a Senator. During this time, he was active in the ALP, at times challenging the leadership of the party. Between 4277 and 4280, Wehnert was not involved in the forefront of politics too much, although he was still seen as a major player in the ALP. After 4280, Wehnert's disapproval of some aspects of the party became greater. He would often challenge the leadership to reform the party, even going as far as suggesting the party "could die and reform" in 4282. Two years later this would happen, as the Libertarian Party would form. Gerald Wehnert also set up a right-leaning political think tank, which specialised in immigration and multiculturalism. Wehnert was critical of the RSF-led government's immigration reform, which removed restrictions on immigrants settling in Aloria. Libertarian Party Deputy Leader After the party formed in March 4284, he was appointed deputy leader. During his time as deputy leader, he was accused of undermining and challenging Maredudd Rhydderch's leadership. Despite being deputy leader, Wehnert often had public disagreements with the party leader, Maredudd Rhydderch. Communism grew in Aloria in the late 4270s and early 4280s, and Wehnert thought Rhydderch did not say enough to challenge those parties who endorsed and implemented communist policies, while Rhydderch thought Wehnert alienated large sections of the electorate in the way he challenged communism. Wehnert often described communism as an "evil that needs to be eradicated". Tensions between Wehnert and Rhydderch worsened when Wehnert claimed he could do a "better job" than Rhydderch. This led to Rhydderch publicly condemning Wehnert's behaviour. Wehnert was seen as a powerful voice in the Senate while he was deputy leader, more so than Maredudd Rhydderch. Whenever bills were discussed that the party knew were going to get a lot of media coverage, Wehnert was often made to speak. After the disastrous 4287 election results there was a leadership election, where Wehnert subsequently beat Rhydderch. Leader After being elected leader, Wehnert set out his and his party's agenda. He said the party would aim to cut taxes, cut immigration and liberalise the economy. When Wehnert was elected, the party was united behind him. Other parties viewed him as a bigger threat than Maredudd Rhydderch, although some thought the Libertarians would still fail with him as leader. One opposition Senator described him as "blast from the past but nothing more". Another said "we're not worried, he led his party to electoral disaster in 4277". In June 4288, a cabinet proposal including the Libertarians passed the Senate. Wehnert became internal affairs minister. He then appointed his deputy leader, Glenice Pritchard, to the post of finance minister, and Rhydderch to the post of trade and industry minister. In November 4289, the Libertarian Party proposed the Alorian Dream Recognition Bill. Wehnert made a speech that has been described as one of the best of his career by many. The bill includes 10 articles, which the Libertarians described as the "ten principles of the Alorian Dream". The bill was delayed due to the early election in November 4290, but the bill eventually moved to a vote in June 4290. The Libertarians voted against a call for an early election in the Senate in 4290, however, in May 4290, the bill passed. Wehnert started his campaign for the presidency early in 4290. His campaign focused around destroying communism, liberalising the economy and restoring national pride. Wehnert won the election, beating Gloria O'nnel, with endorsements from the PFR and Partei für neue Wege. He won 51.05% of the vote. The Libertarian Party's support was similar to in 4287, only gaining an extra 2 seats, taking their seat total to 33 seats. Third & Fourth Presidential Terms After being elected president for the third time, Wehnert promised to continue with his "Alorian Dream" agenda. He immediately put the Alorian Dream Recognition Bill to a vote in the Senate. He also proposed a cabinet involving the PFR, Partei für neue Wege, Conservative Party and his own party. Due to the collapse of the Alorian Nationalist Party, another early election was held in January 4291. Wehnert ran for the presidency again, and he beat Gloria O'nnel for the second time in the space of a year. The Libertarians also did well, winning 53 seats, making them the third-largest party in the Senate. Shortly after winning the election, Wehnert announced that he plans to run for the presidency for the last time in 4295, saying he hopes to retire before 4300.